PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team (2-7) will look to snap their five-game skid when they head down the Garden State Parkway to take on Rutgers University (9-1) on Wednesday night.

Notes: Game 10
FDU Men's Basketball Report 12/13

Game Information:
Fairleigh Dickinson University (2-7) at Rutgers University (9-1)
Where: Rutgers Athletic Center (RAC) – Piscataway, N.J.
When: Wednesday, December 14 – 7:02 p.m.
Series History: Rutgers leads the all-time series 11-2
First Meeting:  Nov. 27, 1981 (RU W, 74-72)
Last Meeting:  Dec. 23, 2015 (RU W, 72-64)
FDU led 35-28 early in the second half before Rutgers came from behind to earn the win. The Knights were led by 15 points from Stephan Jiggetts and 13 from Mike Holloway. Corey Sanders paced the Scarlet Knights with a game-high 21 points in the victory.


Broadcast Information:
Watch: Big10 Plus (subscription required)
Stats: Live Stats
Audio: KnightVision (Sitesh Shah pxp)

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Rutgers University Scarlet Knights:
The Scarlet Knights are red hot to start the season as they enter Wednesday's matchup with a 9-1 record, including wins their last three outings. The team's lone blemish this season came in a 73-61 loss at Miami.
 
The 9-1 start, which includes a perfect 7-0 mark at home, is the team's best since the 1975-76 campaign. The team ranks amongst the best in the country in several categories – especially at the defensive end of the floor where they have limited opponents to just 36.9 percent from the field – 13^th best in the nation.
 
Additionally, the team has cleaned up on the offensive glass this season as they rank seventh in the country at 15.6 offensive boards per outing and fifth in overall rebounding margin at +12.0.
 
They have also excelled in the shot blocking department, ranking 24^th in Division I at 5.7 blocked shots per contest. Three Scarlet Knights have amassed double-figures in blocked shots – Candido Sa (15), Deshawn Freeman (14), C.J. Gettys (13).
 
Following the home tilt with the Knights, Rutgers heads on the road to take on Fordham at Madison Square Garden (Dec. 18) and Seton Hall (Dec. 23).
 

Head Coach: Steve Pikiell (UConn '90)
Record at Rutgers: 9-1 (First season)
Career Record: 202-157 (12^th season)

Team Leaders:
Points: Deshawn Freeman and Nigel Johnson 13.0 ppg
Rebounds: Deshawn Freeman 8.8 rpg
Assists: Corey Sanders 4.2 apg
 
 
Last Time Out for the Knights:
Despite a career-high 33 points from Darian Anderson, which included his 1,000th career point, FDU was edged 90-87 by Towson University at SECU Arena on Saturday afternoon.
 
The teams traded large runs throughout the game before the Tigers finally wound  up on top for good with a second-half surge.
 
The Knights held the Tigers without a single 3-point field goal (0-7) but the home team countered by amassing 52 points in the paint. 
 
The Knights finished 27-of-60 (45%) overall, 12-of-28 (43%) from 3-point land, and 21-31 (68%) from the line. Towson totaled a 27-for-57 (47%) performance from the field and a 36-of-53 (68%) clip from the line.
 
Stephan Jiggetts netted 25 points on just five made field goals as he did most of his damage at the line where he was 12-of-15 and from 3-point range where he knocked down three of his four tries.
 

Herenda's Take: 
"We played really hard and really well for long segments of that game but in the second half, Towson was just too big and too strong for us. I am very proud of our effort tonight -- you can see our team coming together on a daily basis and it is only a matter of time before we gel into a very solid group in our conference." 
 
"It was great for Darian, Steph and Earl to come back to their home state and to perform the way that they did. For Darian to get his 1,000th point in front of his family and friends was just awesome. I am so proud of Darian and the great thing is -- he has many more chapters to write at Fairleigh Dickinson."


News and Notes: 
Newest Member: With his 24th point against Towson on Saturday, Darian Anderson became the latest Knight to join the career 1,000 point club. Anderson finished with a new career-high 33 points to go along with a career-best six made 3-pointers. As a team, the Knights knocked down a season-high 12 trifectas in the loss.
 
Homecoming: In their return to their home state, Darian Anderson, Stephan Jiggetts and Earl Potts Jr. tallied 71 of the Knights' 87 points at Towson on Saturday. 
 
No Threes: In the loss to Towson, the Knights held the Tigers to 0-for-7 from 3-point range. It's the first time the Knights have prevented an opponent from making a three since Army went 0-1 against FDU back on 12/13/08.
 
Working His Way Back: After missing the Knights' first seven games with an injury, junior swingman Earl Potts Jr. returned to a full workload in the game against Towson. Potts Jr., who was a preseason All-NEC selection, led the Knights with six rebounds on Saturday.
 
Herenda History: In his first season at the helm of the Knights, head coach Greg Herenda became the first head coach in the Garden State since December  1987 to defeat both Rutgers and Seton Hall in the same season. The only other coach to accomplish the feat was Pete Carrell at Princeton.
 
New Jersey Teams: Rutgers is the fourth New Jersey opponents the Knights have faced this season. FDU suffered losses to Seton Hall and Saint Peter's, while earning a win against FDU-Florham.
 
Tough Sledding: For the second straight game, the Knights will face one of the toughest defenses in the nation. Towson entered Saturday 19th nationally in field goal defense, while Rutgers holds opponents to just 36.9% from the floor, which is 13th in Division I. 
 
Bishop's Rising: Freshman forward Kaleb Bishop tallied 11 points and eight rebounds in his first collegiate start against B10 powerhouse Ohio State. The freshman forward followed that performance with a career-high 13 points against Iona in the Knights' next outing.
 
Next up:
The Knights wrap up non-conference action with a tough test against No. 23 Cincinnati at Fifth Third Arena this Saturday, December 17. Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m. against the national-ranked Bearcats.